Fantastic, scathing writing. I love it.
To the villainy-of-the-rich theme emanating from Washington, a child is born: Occupy Wall Street. Starbucks-sipping, Levi’s-clad, iPhone-clutching protesters denounce corporate America even as they weep for Steve Jobs, corporate titan, billionaire eight times over.
These indignant indolents saddled with their $50,000 student loans and English degrees have decided that their lack of gainful employment is rooted in the malice of the millionaires on whose homes they are now marching — to the applause of Democrats suffering acute Tea Party envy and now salivating at the energy these big-government anarchists will presumably give their cause.
Except that the real Tea Party actually had a program — less government, less regulation, less taxation, less debt. What’s the Occupy Wall Street program? Eat the rich.
Read the whole article here
Showing posts with label Politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Politics. Show all posts
Friday, October 14, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Turley resignation
Hey, guess who's at the top of the newscast! Check out my story:
It's always fun to squeeze in next to KSL and KUTV for an interview.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Real news
That's what I did for tomorrow. I was at the Provo City Council about "what to do with Steve Turley"--I'll give you a hint: he didn't show up. Trepidating stuff (no, really).
And I met a real classy lady this evening. Cristina Flores from KUTV. This was kind of a big deal apparently, so all the SLC stations were there. As soon as they adjourned the meeting everyone rushed out to interview several key people and one lady was completely surrounded. I tried to squeeze my way in to get a good shot of her face, but try as I could I wasn't getting my mic close enough. Cristina Flores was right next to her interviewing her and motioned to me to hand her my mic, and there I had it: great audio. I was really touched that she would go out of her way to lend me a hand (quite literally). Especially when you expect angry cut-throat people (and let me tell you, trying to squeeze my camera in there was pretty scary. You have to get aggressive...), it was nice to have a friendly face in the crowd. She certainly won my respect tonight.
Hey, don't forget to watch tomorrow at noon! :)
And I met a real classy lady this evening. Cristina Flores from KUTV. This was kind of a big deal apparently, so all the SLC stations were there. As soon as they adjourned the meeting everyone rushed out to interview several key people and one lady was completely surrounded. I tried to squeeze my way in to get a good shot of her face, but try as I could I wasn't getting my mic close enough. Cristina Flores was right next to her interviewing her and motioned to me to hand her my mic, and there I had it: great audio. I was really touched that she would go out of her way to lend me a hand (quite literally). Especially when you expect angry cut-throat people (and let me tell you, trying to squeeze my camera in there was pretty scary. You have to get aggressive...), it was nice to have a friendly face in the crowd. She certainly won my respect tonight.
Hey, don't forget to watch tomorrow at noon! :)
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Documenting a revolution
I am just amazed at the efforts there have been in the events of the past weeks to document and preserve the stories and voices of the Egyptian revolution. We still don't know what will happen, it will take time for Egypt to reorganize itself, but it's inspiring in the meantime to read and hear the individual accounts and feel the general spirit of hope for the future coming from the Middle East. Perhaps I am hopelessly naive, especially since there are so many unanswered questions at this time, but I love witnessing the conscious process of collecting the stories and compiling a history: in many ways, it's the creation of a new identity for a whole new generation.
Here are few projects that I've heard about:
http://egypt.alive.in/
And particularly interesting was this account of a man called the "Revolution Singer" (warning: there are some relatively graphic images) http://egypt.alive.in/2011/03/10/rami-issams-revolution-singer-testimony-of-his-torture-by-egyptian-army/
A feature on the women of the revolution on Al Jazeera
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/02/2011217134411934738.html
A play inspired by true stories from January 25th events in Egypt; it's still in the process as they are collecting testimonies to create it. http://www.tahrirmonologues.com/
Here are few projects that I've heard about:
http://egypt.alive.in/
And particularly interesting was this account of a man called the "Revolution Singer" (warning: there are some relatively graphic images) http://egypt.alive.in/2011/03/10/rami-issams-revolution-singer-testimony-of-his-torture-by-egyptian-army/
A feature on the women of the revolution on Al Jazeera
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/02/2011217134411934738.html
A play inspired by true stories from January 25th events in Egypt; it's still in the process as they are collecting testimonies to create it. http://www.tahrirmonologues.com/
Monday, February 28, 2011
Bunnies and things that make you fat
We went to Vegas/California President's day weekend so Andrew could compete. It was also Andrew's birthday, but poor thing had to spend most of the day at the dentist's or on the road. We'll party harder next year. We did go to cheesecake factory however, which was divine of course.
How lovely. And utterly fattening. But it was so worth it :)
Also, while Andrew was off in California, I got to spend some time with his parents. As usual, I had homework, but apart from that we did some shopping (I found some awesome fabric for a new pair of pants--when I find a spare minute to sew them in!) and went to an outdoors shop where we saw these very very cute bunnies.
Gah! Look at that little one in the food bowl! They were giving them away free because they mutliplied like, well, rabbits, and I was sorely tempted. Then I remembered rabbits stink, have cages you need to clean and die easily.
Oh well.
I also got a head start on my American history. To be completely honest I never learned much about early American history, growing up mostly in France and all... I'm doing my best to rectify that now.We played an awesome USA trivia game which also forced me to learn the names of US states (which I until then mostly couldn't place on a map. I know, shameful. At least I have an excuse...) That's also why Jen woke up to Andrew reciting Presidents and Vice presidents in the car. (He's pretty dang good, let me tell you!)
Later I sat down to catch up on some reading:
and this image made me kind of giggle. Does this make me a republican?
How lovely. And utterly fattening. But it was so worth it :)
Also, while Andrew was off in California, I got to spend some time with his parents. As usual, I had homework, but apart from that we did some shopping (I found some awesome fabric for a new pair of pants--when I find a spare minute to sew them in!) and went to an outdoors shop where we saw these very very cute bunnies.
Gah! Look at that little one in the food bowl! They were giving them away free because they mutliplied like, well, rabbits, and I was sorely tempted. Then I remembered rabbits stink, have cages you need to clean and die easily.
Oh well.
I also got a head start on my American history. To be completely honest I never learned much about early American history, growing up mostly in France and all... I'm doing my best to rectify that now.We played an awesome USA trivia game which also forced me to learn the names of US states (which I until then mostly couldn't place on a map. I know, shameful. At least I have an excuse...) That's also why Jen woke up to Andrew reciting Presidents and Vice presidents in the car. (He's pretty dang good, let me tell you!)
Later I sat down to catch up on some reading:
and this image made me kind of giggle. Does this make me a republican?
Monday, January 31, 2011
Holy cheese
Yes, I believe cheesy is the perfect word here.
oh man, the constitution is hanging by a thread people!
The meanie gotcha journalist gets me every time...
And you know, when faced with evil gun-toting liberals (wait a minute...), the best defense is a good ol' fashioned slingshot.
Anyway, I'll stop my sarcasm now.
oh man, the constitution is hanging by a thread people!
The meanie gotcha journalist gets me every time...
And you know, when faced with evil gun-toting liberals (wait a minute...), the best defense is a good ol' fashioned slingshot.
Anyway, I'll stop my sarcasm now.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Resume reels
So now that I don't have a hobby anymore, it's time to really dig in and get working on what I've been wanting to do for... quite some time. Reporting.
I have a few projects in the works, one of which includes translating and voicing over Who What When Where Why in French next semester. And some other stuff--you know, denouncing corruption and all that stuff.
Tonight I've been watching resume reels (some not as professional as others) to get inspired. This guy is just plain awesome.
I'll be taking a "performance for broadcast" class next semester with one of ABC4's reporters, so I'm planning on improving on my form.
As far as content goes, I have somewhat of a plan as well. The investigative reporting class I took this semester was absolutely fantastic. I have ideas and ways to accomplish them as well. It's funny because we talk about freedom of information a lot, but the truth is a lot of information is available--what it is not, however, is easy to access.
Anyway. That is all for now.
Oh wait. I've been wanting to post this and completely forgot. This is the result of a legislative research project I did this semester, and I'm actually quite happy about it. Anyway, have fun.
Unless you’re a pharmacist or a health plan manager, chances are you’ve never heard of a Pharmacy Benefits Manager, and yet they form a significant link in the complex creature that is your health plan. PBMs act as the middlemen between pharmaceutical companies and health plan providers, negotiating rebates and contracts in order to get you the best value on prescription medicine. Just how good of a deal you’re getting, however, is not easy to judge according to state Rep. Evan Vickers.
Currently, PBMs do not have to transfer all the benefits they receive from pharmaceutical companies directly to the health benefit plans, and they do not necessarily give complete information on all services. Vickers proposes to change that by requiring PBMs to provide itemized statements to health benefit plans and pay the entire amount received for pharmacy services in connection with a health benefit plan. The goal, says Vickers, is transparency in order to reduce the cost of healthcare. “This is something that a lot of PBMs are already doing, but we hope to give benefit plans the option to make a good determination, whether they can stay with that PBM or move to a more transparent option” said Vickers.
Medco Health Solutions, one of the nation’s three biggest Pharmacy Benefits Management companies, has been involved in interim committee hearings, and their lobbyists have mentioned “serious concerns” over the bill. A Medco representative was unwilling to comment at this point of the process.
Vickers’ Pharmacy Benefits Manager Act is not the first attempt at legislating PBMs, since many other states already have their own versions of the bill. Vickers says other states have saved considerable amounts on prescription drugs as a direct result of PBM regulation, citing the University of Michigan’s $50 million savings in the first year alone. The Utah act comes in a long line of attempts at regulating the wildly profitable industry that is Pharmacy Benefits Management: each of the three major PBM companies has annual revenue numbers that exceed $15 billion, and those profits continue to rise even as the cost of prescription drugs increases.
Consumer advocates have expressed concerns over what they consider a lack of transparency and emphasize the need for PBM reform. An October 2009 letter to the U.S. House of Representatives from the Maine-based National Legislative Association on Prescription Drug Prices stated: “Because of the lack of regulation PBMs engage in fraudulent and deceptive practices, resulting in several enforcement actions by a coalition of state attorneys generals that have secured over $371 million in fines and penalties.” Currently, Maine is the only state with a law that imposes on PBMs a fiduciary duty to clients’ health plans: the U.S. District court of D.C. struck down a similar law in the District of Columbia this summer.
At this point, the bill is still a draft, but Vickers says he hopes to get the interim committee to vote on it and put it on the table first thing come January. He says he plans to work with all the parties involved: “I’m not naïve enough to think that I’ll be getting everybody around the table together singing kumbaya, but we’re going to get as close to a consensus as we can.” It is not yet determined how much the act should cost, but according to Vickers the only foreseeable cost would be that of monitoring compliance. The interim committee on Health and Human Services motioned last week to meet on November 17th in order to discuss Rep. Vickers’ proposal.
If you're still reading, I wrote Rep. Vickers an email just now to ask about the status of his bill. I can't find any info on the utah legislature website so I have a feeling it might have fallen through. I'll let you know the rest of this gripping story soon... :)
**EDIT: Wow. I wrote Rep. Vickers an hour ago and he just answered me. (I'm just going to say that America is awesome--there's no way a French elected official would bother to answer some college girl's email.)
The bill was unanimously approved by the Health and Human Services Interim Committee, which means it will go on to the general session in January as a committee bill, which doesn't guarantee passage in the session, but does give it a better chance.**
In all seriousness, if you want to be scandalized, look up lawsuits against PBM companies, and seethe in anger.
Also, kudos if you're still reading, what do you think about the James Zadroga Bill?
I have a few projects in the works, one of which includes translating and voicing over Who What When Where Why in French next semester. And some other stuff--you know, denouncing corruption and all that stuff.
Tonight I've been watching resume reels (some not as professional as others) to get inspired. This guy is just plain awesome.
I'll be taking a "performance for broadcast" class next semester with one of ABC4's reporters, so I'm planning on improving on my form.
As far as content goes, I have somewhat of a plan as well. The investigative reporting class I took this semester was absolutely fantastic. I have ideas and ways to accomplish them as well. It's funny because we talk about freedom of information a lot, but the truth is a lot of information is available--what it is not, however, is easy to access.
Anyway. That is all for now.
Oh wait. I've been wanting to post this and completely forgot. This is the result of a legislative research project I did this semester, and I'm actually quite happy about it. Anyway, have fun.
Unless you’re a pharmacist or a health plan manager, chances are you’ve never heard of a Pharmacy Benefits Manager, and yet they form a significant link in the complex creature that is your health plan. PBMs act as the middlemen between pharmaceutical companies and health plan providers, negotiating rebates and contracts in order to get you the best value on prescription medicine. Just how good of a deal you’re getting, however, is not easy to judge according to state Rep. Evan Vickers.
Currently, PBMs do not have to transfer all the benefits they receive from pharmaceutical companies directly to the health benefit plans, and they do not necessarily give complete information on all services. Vickers proposes to change that by requiring PBMs to provide itemized statements to health benefit plans and pay the entire amount received for pharmacy services in connection with a health benefit plan. The goal, says Vickers, is transparency in order to reduce the cost of healthcare. “This is something that a lot of PBMs are already doing, but we hope to give benefit plans the option to make a good determination, whether they can stay with that PBM or move to a more transparent option” said Vickers.
Medco Health Solutions, one of the nation’s three biggest Pharmacy Benefits Management companies, has been involved in interim committee hearings, and their lobbyists have mentioned “serious concerns” over the bill. A Medco representative was unwilling to comment at this point of the process.
Vickers’ Pharmacy Benefits Manager Act is not the first attempt at legislating PBMs, since many other states already have their own versions of the bill. Vickers says other states have saved considerable amounts on prescription drugs as a direct result of PBM regulation, citing the University of Michigan’s $50 million savings in the first year alone. The Utah act comes in a long line of attempts at regulating the wildly profitable industry that is Pharmacy Benefits Management: each of the three major PBM companies has annual revenue numbers that exceed $15 billion, and those profits continue to rise even as the cost of prescription drugs increases.
Consumer advocates have expressed concerns over what they consider a lack of transparency and emphasize the need for PBM reform. An October 2009 letter to the U.S. House of Representatives from the Maine-based National Legislative Association on Prescription Drug Prices stated: “Because of the lack of regulation PBMs engage in fraudulent and deceptive practices, resulting in several enforcement actions by a coalition of state attorneys generals that have secured over $371 million in fines and penalties.” Currently, Maine is the only state with a law that imposes on PBMs a fiduciary duty to clients’ health plans: the U.S. District court of D.C. struck down a similar law in the District of Columbia this summer.
At this point, the bill is still a draft, but Vickers says he hopes to get the interim committee to vote on it and put it on the table first thing come January. He says he plans to work with all the parties involved: “I’m not naïve enough to think that I’ll be getting everybody around the table together singing kumbaya, but we’re going to get as close to a consensus as we can.” It is not yet determined how much the act should cost, but according to Vickers the only foreseeable cost would be that of monitoring compliance. The interim committee on Health and Human Services motioned last week to meet on November 17th in order to discuss Rep. Vickers’ proposal.
If you're still reading, I wrote Rep. Vickers an email just now to ask about the status of his bill. I can't find any info on the utah legislature website so I have a feeling it might have fallen through. I'll let you know the rest of this gripping story soon... :)
**EDIT: Wow. I wrote Rep. Vickers an hour ago and he just answered me. (I'm just going to say that America is awesome--there's no way a French elected official would bother to answer some college girl's email.)
The bill was unanimously approved by the Health and Human Services Interim Committee, which means it will go on to the general session in January as a committee bill, which doesn't guarantee passage in the session, but does give it a better chance.**
In all seriousness, if you want to be scandalized, look up lawsuits against PBM companies, and seethe in anger.
Also, kudos if you're still reading, what do you think about the James Zadroga Bill?
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